The St. Lawrence Lighthouse Trail

The St. Lawrence has 43 lighthouses located along its coastline and on its islands. True witnesses to the past, nearly half are now dark as radar and GPS technologies have made the lighthouse obsolete.

Nineteen of these lighthouses welcome visitors today. They house a museum, a restaurant, or a lodge. Visitors are invited to stay at one of Québec’s two oldest lighthouses: at Île Verte (1809) on the southern shore, and at Pointe-des-Monts (1830), on the northern shore. Once there, the river, with its tides and winds, imposes a rhythm. From atop the lighthouse, marvel at the splendour of a magnificent view, and let yourself be swept away in the nostalgia of the lighthouse keeper’s lifestyle. 

Since 2004, at the Musée de la mer (museum of the sea) of Pointe-au-Père, a lighthouse beacon shines once again with a 400-watt mercury bulb. The museum presents an exhibition on Canada’s greatest maritime disaster, the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914, and in which 1,012 people perished. Visitors can view various objects salvaged from the wreckage which still, to this day, lies just off the coast of Sainte-Luce. Visitors are also invited to view a very moving 3D projection about the tragedy titled “S.O.S. Empress of Ireland”. 

Did you know...

Lighthouses each have their own lighting signals, which are determined by the number and the duration of light flashes. These served as an aid for navigation.